Revıew
H EA DP HON E S
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 headphones
A new pair of cans raises the bar in audio quality and design
BOWERS & WILKINS PX8 S2 noise-cancelling headphones were released this autumn as an update to the company’s Px8 flagship model. My set arrived in a largish box that set the mental alarm bells ringing. In the event, the packaging proved to be the minimalist, white cardboard art favoured by the likes of Apple: the case was a reasonable 23x17x6cm. Of course, those looking for a small audio device for travelling light may opt for ear buds, but they won’t deliver anything approaching the stellar sound delivered by these cans. More on that later. Much has changed with
this upgrade to the Px8 product; on the whole they look much the same but are slimmer than the original;
me, these headphones deliver’
‘Trust
the new ones come in die- cast aluminium and Napa leather that renders them very comfortable. Another difference is that most of the buttons on the original set were on one ear cup; they’re now shared between both, making navigation easier. A neat feature is the motion-sensor that pauses audio when you remove either of the cups from your ear. Of course, the million- dollar question is, how do they sound? I put them to the test on an eight-hour flight
from London to Almaty,
Kazakhstan. To say the sound is phenomenal is not an overstatement. Testing them on favourite tracks and albums, from Van Morrison’s Astral W
eeks to Pink Floyd’s 88 BUSINESS TRAVELLER ASIA-PACIFIC
WORDS NICK GOODYER
Dark Side of the Moon – with a dash of a classical and trip hop for good measure – the sound was simply quite stunning, with a depth and clarity at all points of the tonal spectrum (an equaliser is featured on the Bowers & Wilkins Music phone app). Noise cancellation can be adjusted to a “transparent” level so that you can hear your voice while making a call, but on its full setting it near-silenced the engine noise, prompting me to check we weren’t gliding into Almaty. Later in the flight I switched to a film on the IFE system, using the cable supplied to plug into the jack socket. Dialogue was crisp and clear. What’s more, the Px8 S2s have 30 hours of battery life on a full charge, so there’s no chance of missing the end of the film. “To deliver a new reference
in headphone listening, the Px8 S2’s Carbon Cone drive units have been optimised to further reduce distortion and enhance audio resolution at up to 24-bit/96kHz quality,” states the manufacturer. Audiophiles will know
better than I what this means. But trust me, these headphones deliver.
V E R D I CT
Not cheap – but superb audio quality, and comfortable to wear
PRICE US$799
CONTACT
bowerswilkins.com NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025
IMAGES 2024 MONO PRODUCTION
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
